COMEDY

September 19

Randy Rainbow

One part amiable theater queen, one part wicked political satirist, this multi-hyphenate YouTube sensation is best known for his steady stream of Trump-era music videos parodying the ongoing surrealism of life under our first reality-TV president. The typical Rainbow clip is built around a classic show tune retrofitted with new, often surprisingly sharp lyrics and performed amidst actual footage of current events. They’re fresh and funny, they feel absolutely necessary—and taken as a body of work, they’ve been viewed over a hundred million times since the 2016 election cycle. Their creator (also a longtime commenter on the Broadway scene both online and on Sirius XM) has been featured on the Tony Awards, won an Emmy of his own, worked with the Will and Grace cast, and occasionally takes his act on the road in live-plus-video shows like this one. He’s the kind of figure who could only exist in the twenty-first century, and is also one of this troubled period’s keenest, cunningest observers.—Ron Ehmke

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September 1

Lavell Crawford

The up-and-coming talent is a popular touring act on the comedy scene.